The Third Gorgon
by Darkorbra
Summary: Medusa somehow survived, and this time she's brought her two sisters Euryale and Stheno to wreak havoc on the three worlds. But what she plans this time is much more than simple revenge: she plans to become the most powerful being in the universe, but first her plan is simply survival at any cost. Meanwhile, Pit and Palutena soon discover the atrocities she's committed.
1. Chapter 1

**KID ICARUS**

**THE THIRD GORGON**

By DarkOrbra

**CHAPTER 1**

DISRUPTING THE BALANCE

There was an ancient horror that lurked beneath the waves, an amphibious menace that terrorised both the inhabitants of the depths and the land. The sister of many deadly monsters, she was the daughter of the primordial sea gods, the rulers of an ancient realm of sea monsters of old. She was a deadly beauty, but she was barely surviving. Her defeat long ago left her dying body longing for the souls of young men, to feed on their life force. The sisters of this sea goddess took her onto the land to feed. Both were older than she was.

The middle sister was named Euryale. She had jet black hair, frigid pale white skin and was clad in a purple and blood red gown decorated with golden jewellery and ornaments. She had yellow and black snakes in her hair, which also had plaits. One could be forgiven for mistaking her as a young, innocent maiden as she had unspoiled youth and beauty only a mortal could ever dream of, but she was in fact millennia old as she belonged to the most ancient family of gods in the divine pantheon, the primordial family of Gaea and Pontus. The older sister was Stheno, and like Euryale, she had pale skin, but she wore a black and crimson gown. She bore a striking familial resemblance to Euryale, and was equal in beauty, but she lacked the plaits her little sister had, her hair long and flowing freely, and had red snakes in her hair. They travelled to the deep of the ocean where mere mortals would be crushed if they hadn't drowned first. They brought along with them their dying sister, the youngest of the three. She was named Medusa.

"Father will be ecstatic once he learns that his most beautiful daughter has returned to where she belongs." Euryale said as she and Medusa embraced. "Your family welcomes your return, my little sister."

"You should have never left the sea." Stheno added.

"I could never stay down here to lay down and die..." Medusa said. "I could never accept defeat."

"The war was lost long ago, my sister." Euryale said. "You need to stop fighting father's battles."

"These are not father's battles anymore, Euryale." Medusa said. "They are all of our battles."

"The Gorgon Sisters are back together again after all these years." Euryale said. "Together, we will punish the ones who have wronged you."

"You have many powerful relatives dwelling in the deep, little sister." Stheno added. "All the monsters of the ocean are still loyal to us. The Nereids will rally behind you."

"My survival must come first. Revenge will come later." The Goddess of Darkness said. "My body is decaying. I must regenerate my flesh. I must feed. I need flesh, human flesh."

"Then we will wreck the ships of humans that dare to intrude on our ocean." Euryale said. "You will feed on all those that touch the ocean."

"My body is slowly being eaten away." Medusa said. "Human flesh will only regenerate my own, but it's not enough to save me. I need to repair my body."

"What should we do, little sister?" Stheno asked.

"There is a legend that there is an enchanted Spring in the Underworld that can reverse injuries and even death." Medusa explained. "My survival depends upon it, but I must recover my strength first. Bring me human flesh. The sea will be filled with blood tonight."

"It will be done my sister." Euryale said. "The world will learn to fear your name and your face once again."

A ship was sailing to the west, carrying hundreds of passengers to their destination. War had forced many people to seek refuge from their ravaged homes. It was always the nature of humanity, but it did not make them very far removed from the gods. War was also the nature of gods.

"Captain Infaustus, the waves are calm today." The first mate of the ship said. "Lord Poseidon is merciful."

"Thank the gods for heeding my prayers, Fatalis." The Captain said. "But I hear pirates operate in these waters. Granting us safe passage also grants them safe passage."

"May Poseidon protect us!" Fatalis said.

Without warning, a violent tremor shook the entire vessel. The ship came to an abrupt halt, knocking everyone on board to their feet. Everyone began to panic.

"What in Angel Land was that?" Captain Infaustus exclaimed.

"We appear to have hit a reef, Captain!" Fatalis retorted.

"Impossible!" The Captain said. "I was assured that there were no reefs here! The maps lie. What sort of pirate trickery is this?"

"We better do something, and quickly." Fatalis inquired. "Whoever gave us the map will pay for their treachery."

"No, I think there is another force at work here." Captain Infaustus said. "There are rumours that a vengeful deity lingers here."

"May the gods have mercy on our souls!" Fatalis said, distraught.

"The gods cannot save you," a raspy, ominous, feminine voice announced. "Nothing can." Her voice sent the passengers into disarray, stampeding and scuttling around aimlessly like frightened mice.

"Who is that?" Fatalis said.

"In the name of Hera, it can't be her!" Infaustus exclaimed, terrified. "I saw her destroyed! I saw it with my own eyes. It's the living darkness herself."

"Then we must fight her." Fatalis said. "The Goddess of Light will be with us!"

"Look at the puny little nothings, Euryale." The voice of Stheno said. "They're so gross! Ewww!"

"Yes Stheno, they are to us what insects are to them." Euryale said. "They are pests, and like all pests they need culling."

"Away with you, demon seductresses!" Infaustas said. "The Goddess of Light will shine down upon us and defeat you."

"They have the audacity to speak her name in my presence." Medusa said. "These are the monsters that Palutena created in her shameless self-indulgence."

"You insolent, grovelling, pitiful little mortals!" Euryale said. "Your souls are in our power now. Look upon my sister's beauty if you dare. Her beauty is so beyond the comprehension of mortals that it has the power to petrify you, preserving your feeble souls in stone for all eternity. Look away, none of you are worthy of her beauty, your souls are soiled and monstrous within and can never be cleansed of your sins. My sister has the face more beautiful than you can possibly imagine, but it's also the face of your death. Ask yourselves if you are deserving of her beauty. If you are not, then gouge out your own eyes right now."

Captain Infaustas cowered behind a collection of barrels crates, but little did her know that he could not hide from the three goddesses. Two scaly, clawed hands caressed Captain Infaustas's head, delicately stroking his hair. The hissing of snakes could be heard, and the paled skinned body of a Gorgon stood behind him. She had appeared out of nowhere.

"You know my name, don't you, mortal?" Medusa asked him seductively. "Speak it, if you dare."

"Medusa." He uttered.

"Do you think I am beautiful?" Medusa asked him.

"No." He said. "Palutena turned you into a hideous monster."

At that very instant, Medusa raked him across his back with her clawed hand viciously. He fell to the floor with four gashes across his torso. Wincing in pain, he took care not to look at Medusa.

"Insult me again, human, then I'll see to it that you or nobody else will ever be able to look at your face again in more ways than one." Medusa hissed. She held out a hand mirror in front of him with her face clearly reflected in the mirror. The captain was still afraid. "The reflection is harmless. Look into the mirror and tell me if you see the face of ugliness?" He reluctantly looked into the mirror. What he saw was not what he expected. "I'll ask you again: do you think I'm beautiful?" She sneered.

"Yes." He replied meekly.

"Then why do you refuse to look upon my face?" Medusa asked him. "Only those undeserving of my beauty will be turned to stone."

"I am unworthy of your beauty." Infaustas said.

"How do you know that I'm even beautiful if you have never seen my face?" Medusa said. "Are you lying to me, human? What happened to the machismo boldness that you presented to me earlier? Look upon my face. If your conscience is clear, then you have nothing to fear."

"I dare not." Infaustas said.

"Never look upon the demon's face!" Fatalis exclaimed. "It's seductress trickery."

Medusa then appeared behind Fatalis, her hands placed fondly on his shoulders.

"Do I allure you, human?" Medusa said. "Have you ever wanted a goddess? And don't try to lie me. Mortals are very bad liars."

"You don't frighten me, and I find you no more attractive than you frighten me." Fatalis said boldly.

"Did you hear that, girls?" Medusa said. "We have a hero right here."

"We should test his manhood." Euryale said.

"Yes, I agree." Medusa said. "Does the thought of petrification not frighten you, human? It's not my eyes you should fear. Will you look upon my face?"

"Never." Fatalis said.

"So, you do fear my gaze." Medusa said. "Courage is something no human can understand. Humans are never without fear. They fear the only future they have, and that future is death."

"You're wrong." Fatalis said. "Lady Palutena will prove you wrong."

"Ah, so this false courage of yours comes from your blind faith in a divine power?" Medusa said. "Do you believe this goddess you grovel towards can protect you from my gaze? Then why will none of you look upon my face? You are a race devoid of courage."

"I'd rather blind myself than look upon a hideous being that calls itself a goddess." Fatalis said.

"Then take my dagger, prove the courage of humanity and your faith in Palutena." Medusa said, extending her hand revealing a dagger that appeared out of nowhere by her dark magic. "Remove your own eyes. Blind yourself. Show your devotion to your goddess. Free yourself forever from my hideousness."

"Fatalis, no, this is insanity!" Infaustas said. "Tell her you take back what you said, that you're sorry!"

"Did you hear the snivelling worm, my sister?" Euryale said. "I can sense the fear in the humans. It makes me feel... so delightful!"

"Yes Euryale, humans no nothing but fear and betrayal." Medusa said. "They have lost their right to exist."

"What would happen if I refuse?" Fatalis asked.

"A mortal should never challenge a goddess." Medusa said. "If you fail to adhere to your challenge, I will take away from you much more than just your eyes. Yes, I sense there are others that you care for more than yourself. You cannot hide anything from me. Honour your challenge, or your loved ones will be punished for your cowardice."

"You're bluffing... You don't have the power to do that." Fatalis said.

"Do you see those images I created in your mind?" Medusa said. "I can see through into your heart to find what will torment you the most. I can make these visions the future."

"You... You're a sadist!" Fatalis said. "You're pure evil!"

"I can also be merciful." Medusa said. "All I ask for is your eyes, not your life. One little sacrifice and those images will remain just images."

Fatalis took the dagger from Medusa's hand, and then did the deed.

Later that day, on Skyworld...

Pit was preparing for battle. Word had reached Skyworld that there had been a disturbance in the sea. Palutena waited to brief Pit at her temple, and also to pick his weapon.

"Sorry to keep you waiting... again." Pit said.

"We always seem to be a little late to the party, don't we?" Palutena said. "But better late than never."

"I've been farming hearts." Pit said. "Playing the same stage over and over again is rather tedious."

"Well, we've got a whole new stock of interesting weapons!" Palutena said. "I'm afraid we missed the summer sale, though. But we better not break the fourth wall too much, Pit: I heard this story is supposed to be more serious tone."

"Lady Palutena, I have a question." Pit said. "Why do I have to buy my weapons from you? And why do Underworld monsters turn into hurts when I defeat them?"

"Are you questioning the logic of this universe?" Palutena asked.

"I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately." Pit said. "And the more I think, the more my head hurts."

"The powers that be say I can't just give these weapons to you." Palutena said. "You have to earn hearts by defeating monsters to prove your courage."

"Seems like everyone tries to cash in when I'm trying to save the world. Even in the first game." Pit said.

"Just think of it this way: every time you buy a weapon, the economy of Skyworld grows. We've only just come out of a recession and you're our only source of income." Palutena said. "You can carry on using the First Blade I gave you if you want to."

"What happened to my colossal stash of weapons from the last game?" Pit asked.

"Oh, well, um, I sold them." Palutena said. "Like I said, the recession. I needed the money."

"What were you thinking?" Pit said.

"I didn't think you'd need them anymore." Palutena said.

"Can't I use the Great Sacred Treasure cannon?" Pit said.

"Don't you remember how long it takes to charge that thing up? It's not exactly practical." Palutena said.

"Okay, so what weapons can I actually afford that don't suck?" Pit asked.

"Well you see the thing is Pit, because of inflation, all the hearts you collected in the last game aren't worth anything." Palutena said. "So I'm afraid you're going to have to stick to the First Blade now."

"Terrific." Pit said.

"Don't worry, I've made some adjustments to the First Blade." Palutena said. "Just remember sometimes it's better to let rip charged shots rather than blasting everything on the screen."

"Alright, fine, we're wasting time. I better get going." Pit responded.

As Pit soared over the ocean, Palutena guided him to the ship beached on the reef.

"This does not look natural." Palutena concluded. "These reefs shouldn't exist. Somebody planned this."

"Ships are usually full of people or cargo, aren't they?" Pit said. "It seems like a ghost ship. What happened to all the crew? My money is on pirates – ghost pirates."

"I don't detect anything." Palutena said. "Anything living, that is. Not even a lingering soul."

"I better go down for a closer look, can you get me down there, Lady Palutena?" Pit said.

"Easiest thing in the world." Palutena said.

"I've got a real bad feeling about this, Lady Palutena." Pit said as he landed. "Hey, a thought just popped into my head."

"Oh no, not another one." Palutena said worriedly.

"How do I get off this ship now that I've landed?" Pit said.

"I'll just extract you like always, silly!" Palutena said teasingly.

"What if you can't?" Pit said. "I don't remember if I ever learnt to swim."

"Well, I'm pretty sure with all those feathers in your wings will keep you afloat. Would you like to test that theory out?" Palutena said. "It's never too late to learn to swim, after all."

"Act your age, Lady Palutena." The ominous voice of Poseidon said.

"Oh, Lord Poseidon, I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect." Palutena said.

"Do you believe me unfit to rule my own ocean?" Poseidon said.

"Of course not, Lord Poseidon." Palutena replied.

"Then why have you intruded into my domain?" Poseidon said. "Skyworld is where you belong."

"My Lord, it is my duty to protect humanity." Palutena said. "Human lives have been lost here."

"Then why do you act so flippantly about it?" Poseidon said. "A child like yourself knows that whenever a human soul trespasses in my realm then their fate is out of your hands. Go home and mind your own affairs before interfering with those of others."

"Geez, Poseidon seems more grumpy than ever." Pit said. "It's like as if he sat down and got his trident stuck up his..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Poseidon exclaimed. "I do not care for the humans, but nonetheless, out of mercy, I saved one. Will you please take him with you?"

"Can you at least tell us what happened out here?" Palutena said. "I can't detect any human life forces. Not even residual soul energy. Even if all the people on this boat died, I would have felt their souls lingering here."

"If you want to discover the truth, then simply look for the missing people." Poseidon said. "All the people aren't missing at all, you just refuse to see them."

"Do you mind elaborating?" Palutena said.

"Well, it seems our friend Pit has found one of your missing persons already." Poseidon said. "In fact, I can clarify that he's actually stood on the poor soul."

Reacting to Poseidon's comment, Pit lifted his foot to discover a sticky residual substance attached to his boot. He looked down and discovered the skeletal remains of one of the passengers.

"You see, you found the passengers without any real effort." Poseidon said.

"By the goddess, what did this?" Pit said aghast.

"They've been eaten." Palutena said. "Not just their flesh. Their souls have been devoured, too."

"What has happened here is your fault, Lady Palutena." Poseidon said. "You created the monster that did this."

"And you did nothing to stop it?" Palutena replied angrily.

"There are greater powers at work here." Poseidon said. "The old gods of the sea are returning. I was told not to interfere. But I have told you too much already."

Without another word, Poseidon had left them. The motionless body of the human he had saved materialized and was floating in the ocean. Pit spotted him almost immediately.

"Yes, I'm thinking the same thing." Palutena said. "He's still alive, but barely. We better be quick."

"Did I mention I really don't like water?" Pit said.

"Oh Pit, this isn't the time to..."

"Don't tell me the cute little angel that single-handedly slew gods is scared of getting his feathers wet?" A manic, teenage voice said. Even before the voice had finished the sentence, a flash of blue and white struck down from the heavens to the waters like a bolt of lightning in the water and fished the man out and vanished without a trace. Then appearing before Pit was Phosphora the Lightning Flash, holding in her arms the lifeless human as she levitated above the ocean. "Like omigosh, me and water don't mix!" She said. "Water conducts electricity, you know. If I get wet, not only will it mess up my make-up, but it also makes my lightning go all haywire! Getting struck by your own lightning is bad you know: its bad for the complexion and it guarantees a bad hair day."

"Phosphora?" Pit said.

"Good going, genius!" Phosphora said. "Anyway, I think this guy's in a pretty bad way. You better call an ambulance."

"What's an ambulance?" Pit said in confusion.

"What she means is that we better get him some medical attention." Palutena said, face-palming.

"Oh Pit, you're so dim, it's cute!" Phosphora said. "Anyway, I'll leave you two to babysit him. Ciao!"

Phosphora gently let the man down onto the wreckage of the ship, and then she vanished into the horizon at the speed of light. Pit looked down upon the man, and when he saw his face, he was immediately repulsed. Both his eyes had been gouged out.

"Lady Palutena! His eyes!" Pit exclaimed in horror. "What sort of monster did this?"

"I think he did it to himself, Pit." Palutena answered. "There must have been some great evil that made him do it." After she finished that sentence, a sense of trepidation tingled down her spinal cord. She shivered in fear.

"Lady Palutena, are you all right?" Pit asked her.

"I just got a real bad feeling about this, Pit." Palutena said. "I have the feeling that something terrible is about to happen."


	2. Chapter 2

**KID ICARUS**

**THE THIRD GORGON**

By DarkOrbra

**CHAPTER 2**

MEDUSA'S FINAL VICTORY

There was something strange about the man that was left for dead in the ocean. Why, for instance, did the creature that attacked him remove his eyes but did not devour his body and soul like all the others? And what kind of creature would be capable of such a thing? What being had the power to create reefs that can beach ships? And what did Poseidon infer when he said that Palutena created the monster that did this? For all her wisdom, the Goddess of Light was perplexed and at a loss. She could not turn to Pit for his advice: he was built for fighting, not for thinking, though she never told him that. Both of them knew it was the right thing to do to save him. Human beings typically are not allowed to set foot on Skyworld, the realm of the angels, but compassion always got the better of Lady Palutena. It probably was not a good idea to linger around here as the creature that attacked the ship might be back. Another peculiar thing was Phosphora: what doing here and why would she save a human of all things?

"I know how your bladder always empties around water, so I better get you out of there." She said. "Think you're strong enough to carry the man with you?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Lady Palutena?" Pit asked. "Shouldn't we leave him with his own kind to look after him?"

"I want to get to the bottom of what happened here." She replied. "That sea monster or whatever it was might come looking for him, and you. The only safe place for him is in the heavens."

In a beam of glowing gold and yellow light, Pit and the injured man were dematerialized and absorbed into the light and were fired up into the sky. They materialised inside Palutena's sanctuary on Skyworld. Pit was surrounded by the walls of classical architecture of extravagant and elaborate detail, all built in the image of the Goddess of Light. He was home.

Beneath the waves, in the deepest part of the ocean, was a vast undersea city. The pressure was far too great down here for any land dweller and it would have been shrouded in perfect darkness were it not for the countless sea creatures that illuminated the city. This was the realm of sea monsters under the kingship of Phorcys, the primal god of the dangers of the sea. His queen was Ceto, the goddess of sea monsters. Many of the sea creatures that lived in the oceans were their subjects. Phorcys was a one-time ruler of the sea eons ago. His father was Pontus, the primal spirit of water itself. These gods were ancient: they came from an era long before even the Titans. Gaea, the primordial Earth goddess, was their mother (Gaea and Viridi are two separate entities: Viridi is the Olympian Goddess of Nature belonging to the younger generation of gods, Gaea is the primordial spirit of the Earth). They were members of the oldest family of gods in the divine pantheon. Phorcys and Ceto were the parents of the Goddess of Darkness, an apt name for her as she was born in the depths of the ocean where no light could penetrate. She was one of a triplet of sisters known as the Gorgons. The other two Gorgons were truly immortal and could revive themselves after death. Medusa had a fatal weakness as she could only be revived by another god that was powerful enough. In spite of this however, she was the only one of her sisters that had the powers of petrification: the power to turn almost any living creature she desires that meets her gaze into stone.

After feeding upon the bodies and spirits of sea-faring humans, Medusa was at least partially revitalised at this point. Within the walls of the city, she looked into a mirror that gave her omniscient view of the surface world. All her calculations have proven to be true thus far: Palutena had taken the bait. She watched her sister Stheno play with something very valuable, which agitated her.

"Stheno, be careful with that!" Medusa told her. "If you break it then I'll break that thick skull of yours."

"It makes my brain feel all funny, little sis." Stheno said. "There's a strange, distorted face inside of it staring back at me."

"That's just your reflection, you fool." Euryale said.

"Oh, well that explains it then." Stheno said. Despite her ditzy and seemingly innocent behaviour, Stheno was actually the most vicious and bloodthirsty of the three sisters: her apparent lack of intelligence was just a ruse often to lead people into a false sense of security. Her sisters knew it, but sometimes they forgot, or they just went along with her act.

"Now that fool Hades has been dealt with, we shall take complete control of the Underworld." Medusa said. "I always kept a copy of the Underworld Key. Nobody else knows of its existence except us. We shall lead an army of sea monsters into the Underworld and subjugate all the souls and spirits there completely. Then we will find the Rewind Spring and restore my body."

"But my sister, won't an all-out invasion of the Underworld be too obvious?" Euryale said. "We'll be drawing way too much attention to ourselves, and then a certain goddess that does nothing but meddle in the affairs of others will send her one man army after us."

"Precisely," Medusa said confidently, "Palutena is so predictable: if she doesn't send Pit into the realm of Hades, I will be most disappointed."

The man was beginning to come around: Palutena had allowed him to use her personal hot spring, which was a luxury enjoyed by very few.

"These springs have natural healing properties for even mortals, but they cannot regenerate lost body parts." Palutena said.

"Where am I?" The man said groggily. "Have I died and gone to heaven?"

"This is Skyworld: probably about as close to heaven as you can get." Palutena replied.

"Why have you brought me here?" The man asked.

"I want to know exactly what happened to you." Palutena said.

"It was Medusa." He said weakly.

"But Medusa is dead!" Palutena said.

"You think being dead stopped Medusa the first time?" He said. "There were three Medusas this time. They're still out there."

"Three Medusas?!" Palutena said, alarmed. "Are you sure?"

"My eyes may be gone, but not my memories." He said. "I know what I saw. Three Medusas attacked our ship, and they slain everyone except me."

"No offence, but why leave you alive?" Palutena asked. "That's what I can't work out."

"You see my eyes?" He replied. "They're gone. They said they would take more than my eyes if I did not obey them. Now if you would excuse me, I'm very tired."

"Yes, of course." Palutena said. "You must rest, get your strength back. Then I will take you back to the Overworld. What's your name?"

"Fatalis." He said.

"Fatalis?" Palutena said. "Oh dear. He's lived up to his name."

The Goddess of Light allowed her guest to continue to bath in her hot spring. She went to the altar of her temple. There she summoned Pit and she filled him in.

"Three Medusas!" Pit exclaimed. "One is bad enough! Where did they come from?"

"Medusa has cheated death at least twice before," Palutena said, "and I have some vague suspicions on who the other two Medusas might be."

"But how can I even hope to defeat them without the Three Sacred Treasures?" Pit asked. "They're the only thing that's effective against Medusa."

"Yes, you're a pretty delicate thing without all your gear, aren't you?" She said. "If you fought Medusa how you are now, she'll probably wonder how you beat her so many times."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Lady Palutena." Pit said in a sarcastic tone. "It's nice to know you're looking out for me."

"What are friends for?" Palutena said. "But in all seriousness, we have no other leads on Medusa's whereabouts."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Pit said. "We can't keep everyone waiting."

Meanwhile, on the Overworld, the Gorgons were addressing their newly assembled army.

"Father has consolidated quite a force, my sister." Euryale said. "Soon you will conquer the world, and take your revenge."

"Once we take control of the souls of the dead and the Rewind Spring, we shall become unstoppable." Medusa said.

"Uh, why would anyone want to rule the Underworld?" Stheno asked. "It seems so boring. It's just full of dead people, and dead people don't do anything, do they?"

"You're going to eat those words later." Medusa said.

Amphibious sea monsters and creatures from all over the oceans had arrived to the appointed place: the fissure in the Overworld leading into the doorway to the damned. But how were the sea monsters supposed to descend into the land of the dead, seeing as none of them could fly? Medusa had a plan: her father would cause a huge tsunami that would sweep inland and flood the ravine. The monsters of the oceans that could not walk inland would travel this way, and they would simply swim their way down to the Underworld gateway. The water would gush into the Underworld, carrying Medusa's army. The troops would then fill into the Underworld's many rivers and attack. They would absorb any monsters or spirits still loyal to the one-time Queen of the Underworld, and hunt down and destroy any monsters that opposed her. The sea monsters would then follow the river system into the City of Souls, and subjugate all the souls that resided there. The nearby Rewind Spring would then be captured, and then they would either slay or take control of the soul devouring monster. But most importantly, Medusa had to make her invasion plainly obvious to Palutena, and hopefully she would send Pit to stop them. Medusa would lure Pit to the Rewind Spring, where her plan would be set in motion. "Tell father to start the tsunami, and I shall rule the Underworld once more." She said.

Palutena immediately dispatched Pit to the cracks in the Overworld. As Pit flew through the doorway taking him to his destination, he saw the destruction first hand: the ocean had swallowed the land. Flowing water from the sea flooded the fissures leading down to the Underworld. Entire towns and cities had been swept away, and there were was much debris and many dead bodies in the water.

"By the goddess, what has happened here?" Pit said, astonished.

"It's an invasion from the sea!" Palutena said. "Monsters from the ocean are coming inland through a tsunami."

"I hate water! Why did it have to follow me all the way out here?" Pit exclaimed.

"Like OMG, I thought you were supposed to be a man, Pit." A voice of a teenage girl said. Pit immediately recognised the voice.

"Phosphora! Not you again!" He said. "You're one to talk: you wouldn't dare to get wet the last time I saw you."

"Oh Pit, you say the cutest things when you get mad!" Phosphora said. "Someone could interpret what you said into something a little bit… dirty."

"What do you want, Phosphora?" Palutena asked.

"Sorry, I didn't realise it was the time of month for you, ma'am!" She replied.

"How dare she?" Palutena said under her breath.

"Mistress Viridi sent me to investigate some strange happenings that have been going on with our flora." She said. "But I also thought I better check on my boyfriend."

"Knock it off, Phosphora!" Pit snapped.

"Since you only seem to care about human life, you didn't notice what was happening until it happened to your precious humans." The high pitched voice of a little girl announced. Pit was also very familiar with this voice.

"I'm the patron to humanity, just like you are the patron to nature, Viridi." Palutena said. "But please elaborate on these strange happenings."

"Some voracious creature had been devouring entire forests." Viridi continued. "It not only consumed the physical bodies of the trees, it ate their spirits too!"

"Wait, trees have souls?" Pit said, confused.

"Of course trees have souls, you pea-brain!" Viridi snapped at Pit's insensitivity. "Your precious humans aren't the only sentient beings on the planet, you know! If Hades were here, he would call me a tree hugger." Pit kept silent. He was about to make that exact same joke, but now he thought better of it. "Phosphora traced the monster to the ocean, where we encountered you."

"And when I saw Pit wetting himself on that boat, I just had to have a closer look," Phosphora said, "I took a snapshot of him on my cell phone and shared it with all my girlfriends. It'll be circulating around Gracebook before long."

"How many nigh-invincible gods have you single-handedly defeated lately, Phosphora?" Pit said.

"All right! Geez!" Phosphora said. "I didn't know that one little joke would bruise your ego. At least I don't need a goddess to fly."

"How do we even get into these conversations?" Viridi wondered.

"More importantly, how are we going to get into the Underworld now that the entrance has been flooded?" Pit pondered.

"We wait for the water to drain into the Underworld," Palutena said, "unless, of course, you feel like using your wings as flippers to swim with?"

"Let's just hope the water is gone before the power of flight runs out." Pit insisted.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Pit?" Viridi asked. "Come on, it'll be a laugh to watch you make a fool of yourself using your wings to swim."

"Then why don't you send Phosphora down there first?" Palutena challenged.

"Actually, I agree with Pit." Phosphora said. "Let's wait for the water to drain."

"Who's scared now, Viridi?" Pit asked.

"Dammit." Viridi said under her breath.

The fissure itself became a long inlet of water, a channel stretching for miles into the horizon. Colossal cascades fed it a constant supply of water. But almost as quickly as it filled up with water, it began to drain.

"Now's our chance." Palutena said. "Hopefully that tidal wave swept away any Underworld troops. Luckily we still have that Underworld Key, or else we'd never be able to enter the Underworld."

Pit began to nosedive into the huge chasm and followed the water to where it was being drained. Phosphora followed him closely from behind. As the last of the water poured into the Underworld, the gateway closed. Pit used the Key to reopen it. He and Phosphora were inside the Underworld, but there was no sign of the sea monsters anywhere. They must have been carried off by the currents of the Underworld rivers.

"Where do we go from here, Lady Palutena?" Pit asked.

"Presumably they went down the waterways." Palutena asked. "Follow the river."

The Underworld had a strange crimson complexion, a desolate wasteland that went as far as the eye could see. It was a strange alternate world beneath the surface world, and even had its own sky, though thick, poisonous clouds obstructed it. Pit followed the river as it flowed into the City of Souls: he had never been here before and Palutena had to fill him in. Phosphora followed him closely behind as they made their way to the Rewind Spring. The Underworld, sometimes simply referred to as Hades after the Lords of the Underworld himself, was strangely eerie today. Pit and Phosphora met no resistance on their journey: typically this place would be crawling with Underworld troops. There were sign of any sea monsters, either. No evidence was apparent that there had been any fighting.

"I've got the feeling something very nasty is going to be waiting for us when we get to the Spring." Viridi said.

"Shh Viridi! Don't jinx us!" Palutena replied.

The newly restored Medusa looked at her now repaired body, feeling rejuvenated and revitalised. There was no need for her to feed on living things anymore. A simple dip of her hand into the Rewind Spring restored her powers and her body. This enigmatic part of the Underworld was eerily serene, like an oasis of the Underworld, a paradise found in death. It was an oasis of life where nothing but the dead lingered. Medusa had both of her sisters nearby.

"My sister, the scouts report that the one called Pit has followed us here." Euryale said.

"Excellent. Let's hope he doesn't keep us waiting." Medusa said. Funnily enough, he did not keep her waiting long, and he an Phosphora arrived

"." Phosphora said.

"I remember this place!" Pit exclaimed. "To think a place like this could exist in the dark and dank realm of Hades."

"Why, hello there Pit." Medusa said. "Did you miss me?"

"Yep, there was indeed something very nasty waiting for us here, just like you said Mistress Viridi." Phosphora said.

"Oh no, it's Medusa!" Palutena said as she shuddered in fear. Pit and Phosphora both took great care not to look at her, as that would mean instant petrification.

"Sharp as always, aren't you Lady Palutena?" Medusa replied confidently.

"So, you were the one that had been decimating the forests on the surface world." Viridi said. "You're gonna face some serious consequences for that, missy!"

"Do you think that I'm frightened of you, you little preteen?" Medusa said.

"This makes no sense: you're supposed to be dead, Medusa!" Pit exclaimed. "I saw you destroyed: you took the full force of that blow from Hades and then you vaporized into nothing. How is it that you keep coming back?"

"You fools!" Medusa snapped. "Did you honestly think that I had not prepared for that outcome? It just took a little time to regenerate my body."

"Then why did you save my life?" Pit asked.

"Because you were my best chance of getting rid of Hades," Medusa said, "I had to ensure you lived until you had served your purpose."

"So please enlighten us Medusa: how have you resurrected yourself this time?" Pit asked.

"Perhaps we can answer that." Euryale said as she appeared before him.

"Don't forget about me, either!" Stheno said as she also arrived. "I hate to be left out of little games."

"Why are there now three of you?" Pit said, alarmed.

"I think I know what's going on, Pit." Palutena said. "Those are Medusa's sisters."

"Yes, that is correct. My name is Euryale." She said.

"And my name is Stheno, if anyone cares." Stheno added.

"We are the Gorgons, and together we shall be unstoppable." Euryale said.

"We'll see about that!" Pit said confidently.

"We are immortal, my slow-witted angel." Euryale said. "We can bring ourselves back to life without bounds after defeat. We are invincible."

"Except for poor old Medusa over there," Palutena added, "she can't come back to life by herself after she has been defeated."

"This is exactly why I plucked a snake from my head and sent it to my sisters." Medusa said.

"Yes, our sister sent us a living piece of her body to ensure that a part of her survived." Euryale said. "Once Hades had been defeated, we fed the snake the flesh and souls of living things, and Medusa had begun to regenerate her own flesh and spirit. At first, she devoured only the creatures of the deep, but once she had gathered enough strength, she began to feed upon sentient beings upon the surface world. However, this still wasn't enough to sustain her life force indefinitely."

"Which is why you invaded the Underworld: you wanted to get her to the Rewind Spring to repair her body and soul." Palutena added.

"Exactly," Medusa answered, "we needed a way to heal my body, but we also needed a way to get rid of you. Don't worry though: I figured out a way to do both at the same time."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'do both at the same time'?" Pit asked.

Meanwhile on Skyworld, inside the sanctuary of Palutena's temple, Fatalis had been aroused from his slumber. Something seemed to possess and control his body against his will, some sort of cursed magic. He began to leave the safety of the spring and got dressed in a toga. He removed the blindfold that covered the sockets where his eyes once were. He began to seek out Palutena like a homing missile. Soon he found her in front of a mirror showing her Pit's entire vision. He slowly began to approach her.

"Not now, Fatalis." Palutena said. "This is a real bad time."

"Precisely: my mistress calculated it would be." He said in a spine-chilling, flanged voice.

"Wha- aggggh!" Palutena was cut abruptly off in the middle of her reaction. Two hideous tentacles emerged from the sockets where Fatalis's eyes once were. They ensnared Palutena and constricted around her body. She was completely defenceless. "Uggh! This reminds me of some naughty images I saw of me on the internet." She said.

"Silence!" Fatalis said, forcing his tentacles down her throat. She began to suffocate. "The time for humour has long passed. I am no longer Fatalis: I am a servant of the great Medusa, and you are now her prisoner!"

At that very moment at the Rewind Spring, Medusa knew instantaneously that her plan had succeeded.

"I just received word that Palutena has been incapacitated." She said. "She can no longer help you, Pit."

"She might not be able to help my boyfriend, but I can." Viridi said. "I'm extracting him and Phosphora right now!" But nothing happened. "Oh this isn't good! Now isn't the time to have a magic-fart!"

Why do all the girls around here refer to me as their boyfriend, Pit pondered.

"I'm repelling you magic, Viridi." Medusa said. "Your power has no effect here."

"Come on, Phosphora!" Pit exclaimed. "It's up to us to rescue ourselves. There's no time to lose: Palutena's in mortal danger!"

"Right, I guess it's up to me to save the day once again," Phosphora said, hovering away from the Rewind Spring, "stand back sweetie, I'll get us out of here, and – aggggggh!" As soon as she uttered those words, she was electrocuted and thrown back onto the spring.

"Oh, and by the way, I've encased the entire vicinity in an electrified force field." Medusa said. "Trying to escape means certain death."

"I know this might be a stupid question, but what the heck happened?" Phosphora said, dazed and confused.

"I think you just got a taste of your own medicine." Pit said. "You made a fatal mistake trapping me in here with you, Medusa. I've beaten you once, and I'll beat you again!" Pit fired at her with his First Blade. Medusa stood there, completely unharmed.

"Too bad you don't have the Arrows of Light. Perhaps then you wouldn't be such a laughing stock." Medusa said. "Oh, and you don't have the Mirror Shield either, do you? That's most unfortunate. Just one look at me and you're doomed, Pit."

"Pit, I don't want to sound like a loser, but I think we're screwed." Phosphora said.

"This is my fault. I should have seen this coming." Viridi said.

"You haven't beaten me yet, Medusa!" Pit said defiantly. "You'll soon see the light."

"Cetus, I summon you!" Medusa exclaimed. A colossal tremor shook the entire Underworld, and Pit and Phosphora both fell to their feet. From the darkest depths of Hades emerged a colossal, slimy sea monster with hundreds of tentacles that seemed completely immune from Medusa's force field.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Phosphora said. "How come the force field doesn't hurt him?"

"Cetus, will you please get rid of Pit and his irritating girlfriend?" Medusa said.

"You won't find that so easy!" Pit exclaimed. "I've taken down creatures hundreds of times my size before. And she's not my girlfriend."

"Now, don't be hasty Pit!" Phosphora proclaimed angrily. "We're a match made in heaven, so we fight to the death together!" But the sea monster had already opened its gargantuan beak, exposing multiple rows of razor sharp teeth and saliva. Whilst they were distracted, Medusa put a curse on them that chained them to the floor. Pit and Phosphora attacked the creature, but it was no good: the monster was far too powerful. They put up a good fight whilst avoiding Medusa's gaze, but it was all in vain in the end. The creature grabbed both Pit and Phosphora and then swallowed them in one gulp. Pit was gone.

"Pit! Phosphora!" Viridi exclaimed in horror. "I fear the worst has happened to them… Palutena, I'm sorry…"

"Well done, my pet, Pit is no longer a threat to us." Medusa said. "Once he was cut off from the gods, once he had been stripped of his fancy weapons, Pit really was pitiful. He and that wretched girl are nothing without the power of their gods. Palutena is now also in my power. With this, my sisters, I will reclaim my dominion over all life. I shall rebuild my castle and reassemble the Underworld Army. Then I shall launch my invasion of the heavens and the earth, and oppress all life and reshape the Earth to my will. Palutena and those miserable humans will suffer unlike ever before. Pit has failed her and now he is gone forever. They can never stand in my way ever again. At long last, Palutena and that fool Poseidon will finally pay for what they did to me all those years ago."


	3. Chapter 3

**THE THIRD GORGON**

**By DarkOrbra**

**CHAPTER 3**

PLANET OF THE GORGONS

The sea monster Cetus could store food within its maw indefinitely. It even had the ability to keep its prey in suspended animation until it felt peckish. There was a strange alternate world inside the monster's belly where its prey lingered until dinner time. Pit and Phosphora were trapped here since the monster swallowed them whole. Cetus had returned to the ocean at this point. Something had summoned the ravenous beast, perhaps another ocean deity. A strange figure stood on a lonely island in the middle of the open sea. This person was wearing a brown cloak completely concealing their identity, but the sea monster appeared to have fealty towards this individual. As its gargantuan body rose from the sea, an immense wall of water ascended and then descended into a mighty cascade. The tiny figure, a mere spec in comparison to the colossal monster, was completely shielded from the wall of water. It was almost as if the water itself was sentient and this was someone that was important to it. Then the person spoke to the monster.

"Cetus, you know me, don't you?" The figure spoke in a motherly, female voice. Cetus acknowledged her by nodding its gigantic head. "Do you remember the angel and the Lightning Flash that Medusa told you to get rid of? Tell me Cetus, are they still alive? Please tell me you spared them." Cetus simply looked confused. "If they still live, you must return them to this world. They are our last hope." Finally Cetus stirred. The creature reared up and regurgitated a disgusting pool of bile. The stench was horrendous, and reeked of fish and stomach lining. The digested pile of sludge did appear to have signs of life. There was something moving through the semi-liquid mixture of vomit and the skeletal remains of its sustenance. The feathered wings of an angel emerged, soaking in vomit.

"I never want to do that ever again." Pit said, gagging. "I think I'm gonna puke… on puke!"

"Aaaaaiiiiiiieeeeeeee!" Phosphora screeched. "My designer clothes… My complexion… Ruined, absolutely ruined. And when was the last time I took a shower? Now everyone will think that I'm a hobo. I have an image to keep up, y'know. This was the worst date ever!"

"My apologies for what has happened to you," the mysterious woman said.

"Why are you apologising?" Pit said, confused and wiping the slime away from his eyes. "If you weren't for you, then I'd be… excrement on the seabed by now."

"Oh, please don't remind me," Phosphora said, "I think I'm about to regurgitate myself. I'm a vegetarian, y'know, so this whole ordeal has made my stomach churn. Still, the chance of being alone with Pit made it all worth it."

"Actually, I think that was the worst part of this whole ordeal." Pit said.

"Oh, Pit, you're so funny pretending not to fancy me," Phosphora said with glee, "even though we made sweet love."

"You just made that up, didn't you?" Pit said. "The readers know that you're not my type… oh no, I just broke the fourth wall again, didn't I?"

"Do you have any idea whole long you were in there for?" The mysterious woman asked, changing the subject.

"A couple of days, I think," Pit replied, "but it seemed like years with Phosphora there pestering me." Pit surveyed his surroundings. He could see an enormous, tall black cloud in the distance, but a cloudless, bright blue sky right above him. Open sea was everywhere: they were on a golden sandy beach with palm trees and other tropical flora. Crabs scuttled past to a nearby rock pool. Pit looked behind and he could see there was a tropical wood inland. But then all of sudden, he saw what seemed to be an entire landmass moving in the sea. He got a good look at it: it was the behemoth that had gobbled him up! "Yaaaah! It's that creature again! Run for your lives!"

"Don't be afraid, Pit, this creature is loyal to me." The woman said. "But I'm afraid I have some bad news. When Cetus ate you, you were warped to an alternate world within its belly. But the speed that which the time passes between our two worlds is out of synch."

"What are you talking about?" Pit asked.

"I'm afraid you'll inevitably discover what I mean yourself in good time. Cetus will take you back to dry land, and you'll learn the terrible truth." The woman said.

"Can't we at least take a bath first?" Phosphora asked. "Getting shocked by an invisible electrified force field, getting gobbled up by a disgusting sea monster (no offence Cetus), and then being regurgitated again, drenched in puke is all very unhygienic. And I'm a germaphobe, y'know."

"There is a hot spring and a cascade further inland on this island." The woman said. "You are welcome to bathe there."

"There's nothing quite like bathing completely undressed in a hot spring." Phosphora said. "Why don't you join me Pit? We could go skinny-dipping afterwards."

"No thanks, Phosphora," Pit replied, "and I always prefer to soak in the hot springs with my clothes still on. I'll wait until you're done."

"Pit, if you keep on rejecting my advances, people might start questioning your sexual preference." Phosphora said, but Pit pretended not to hear her.

After refreshing themselves in the hot spring and Pit having to wait an eternity for Phosphora to finish, much to his annoyance, the three of them mounted Cetus's back and took the long journey across the ocean to dry land. Pit noticed the thick, dark clouds he saw earlier blotting out the sun, shrouding everything in darkness.

"Is the weather just really bad today, or something?" Pit asked.

"I'm afraid the weather's like this every day here, Pit." The mysterious woman answered. "This is Medusa's doing. She's planning to cover the entire world in these thick clouds, blotting out all the sunlight. Medusa draws her power from darkness you see, so the more darkness there is the more powerful she becomes. If she successfully plunges the world into perfect darkness, then she will become unstoppable."

"But Lady Palutena was supposed to banish the darkness with her light!" Pit said.

"The light Palutena administered over the world caused Medusa's powers to wane." The mysterious woman said. "Don't you remember what happened to Lady Palutena? Once Medusa was able to get her out of the way, darkness began to consume the Earth and Medusa's powers grew. Not even the gods could challenge her."

"Oh no, I remember now, Lady Palutena was captured!" Pit exclaimed. "If we hurry, we might be able to still help her."

"As I keep telling you Pit, the world you were trapped in is out of synch with our world, so time passes much faster here than there. You were gone much longer than you thought."

"How long, exactly?"

"And Mistress Viridi, what became of her?" Phosphora asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure, but I cannot give you much more information." The woman said. "If Medusa discovers that I've helped you, she'll give me terrible beatings."

"Not if I can help it." Pit said confidently. "I can handle Medusa."

"I'm afraid so much has happened since you were gone." The woman said. "Luckily Cetus here can make us unseen to any of Medusa's minions. This little beastie and the other sea monsters quickly cleared out the entire Underworld, that's why you met so little resistance the last time you were there. Probably the only reason why you're not fish food right now is because Cetus got so stuffed on Underworld troops he decided to store you rather than digest you. Besides, you were far too sacred for him to turn you into excrement."

"He's one overpowered plot device." Pit said.

"After the remnants of Hades's forces had been annihilated, Medusa recreated the Underworld Army from copies of the originals that were loyal only to her. She has powers over darkness that you cannot even understand."

"Why couldn't she have just used old Cetus here if he can singlehandedly defeat the entire Underworld Army?" Phosphora asked. "And why can't we use him to take down Medusa?"

"I only loaned Cetus to Medusa during her invasion of the Underworld." The woman replied. "Besides, with Hades dead, the Underworld Army was leaderless, dying out and more or less already beaten and thus were easily overrun. And Medusa is a member of the ancient family of sea gods: Cetus would not dare attack her."

"So who are you exactly?" Pit asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that." The woman said. "But I do ask one thing in return for helping you: when the time comes, you must not kill Medusa."

"You can't be serious, can you?" Pit said, astonished. "What is she to you, anyway?"

"I've told you too much already." The woman said. "Do whatever it takes to defeat Medusa, but if you kill her, there will be serious consequences." Very few words were exchanged between the stranger and Pit and Phosphora for the remainder of the journey. As a matter of fact, they slept through most of the way. Finally, when they reached the mainland, the stranger awoke Pit and Phosphora to disembark onto the beach. "Be careful: you two are on your own from now on. I must return before Medusa gets suspicious." With those final words, Cetus and the enigmatic stranger faded into the open sea.

"I wonder how long we were gone for?" Phosphora asked.

"And I wonder how much damage Medusa has done since we were gone?" Pit asked. "We better think of a way to rescue Lady Palutena."

"You do what you want, sweetheart, but I'm going back to Mistress Viridi." Phosphora said.

"Alright, fine, but we best stick together in the meantime and probe what we're up against, and then we can go our separate ways." Pit said.

The pair had landed on a tiny peninsula: they followed it until they walked further inland, but there was no sign of any habitation. Flora and fauna were nowhere to be seen, with the exception of dead trees, and there was something disconcertingly barren about the landscape. The weather also looked rather dire. As they walked for what seemed like days, their fatigue got the better of them. They sat down to rest. As soon as they were about to move on, they spotted the first signs of life they had seen since arriving on dry land. There was a formation of seven flying creatures patrolling the landscape. Could they be hostile Underworld forces? Could they be loyal Centurions? Could they belong to the Forces of Nature? Whatever faction they belonged to, they were approaching Phosphora and Pit with great speed.

"Pit, look!" Phosphora exclaimed. "Some creatures are heading right towards us, and they don't look friendly."

"We better be ready for anything." Pit replied. "If they're Underworld goons, we can take them."

As the creatures got closer, they could finally make out what they were: they were scaly, cycloptic disembodied heads with snakes for hair, with large, blood-red singular reptilian eyes, mouths full of razor sharp teeth and protruding forked tongues. The creatures bore a striking resemblance to Medusa's monster form, albeit much smaller. It was probably a no-brainer of whom they worked for.

"An angel!" One of them bellowed. "All servants of the Goddess of Light are to be killed on sight, no exceptions! We Gorgoneions are lookouts for the great Medusa: and if we find anything we don't like, we kill it."

"They were supposed to have been all destroyed." Another one of them said. "Light must not be allowed to return! If the mistress found out there were survivors then she'll have our… heads."

"How can she have our heads if we don't even have bodies?" One of them asked.

"That's irrelevant! Destroy them both!"

"Yes, they seem very friendly." Phosphora said.

"Give it your best shot, creeps!" Pit said, doing his much rehearsed battle poses. "You got one thing right: I am the servant of the Goddess Palutena, and it's time for you to see the light!"

"And I'm no slouch either!" Phosphora interjected. "Prepare to see the… err… thunder!"

"I thought you said you couldn't see thunder?" Pit said.

"Did I say thunder? I said lightning! Get your ears checked Pit, sheesh!" Phosphora said.

The flying Gorgon heads, making loud buzzing sounds as they hovered, swooped in and fired a burst of red laser beams from their eyes at them, which made peculiar but imposing projectile noises. Pit and Phosphora barely dodged out of the way in time. The ground was being pummelled with deleterious fire in all directions, leaving scorch marks everywhere. Pit and Phosphora took cover behind a nearby boulder.

"Oh, Mistress Viridi ain't gonna be happy about you messing up her lawn, boys!" Phosphora said as she fired a bolt of lightning at one of the gorgon heads. Unfortunately, it had no effect.

"There's only one angel that cocky: it must be Pit." One of the monsters said.

"And there's only one bimbo I know that can shoot lightning: it must be Phosphora, servant of Viridi, Goddess of Nature." Another said. The Gorgoneions concentrated their eyebeams on the boulder, causing it to explode into a spectacular fireball of yellow and orange flames. Debris rained upon the ground like miniature meteorites. The force of the blast threw Pit and Phosphora to their feet. Pit returned fire with his First Blade, but the shots bounced harmlessly off the gorgon heads.

"These guys are tough!" Pit said. "I wonder if only the Arrows of Light can hurt them?"

"Medusa must have really turned up the heat this time to have those things working for her." Phosphora replied. The Gorgoneions hailed the entire landscape with fire, scarring it with craters everywhere. Phosphora went airborne and kicked one of the heads, knocking it back, but it quickly recovered. "That's for vandalising the countryside." She said. Pit fired charged shots at the gorgon heads, but it was still futile.

"All those who have faced us have died." One of the gorgon heads said.

"Well I've kicked your boss's butt twice before. She was a real pushover." Pit said.

"Blaspheming Mistress Medusa's name is strictly prohibited under the pain of death." One of the Gorgoneions said. "We can detect anyone who blasphemes against our goddess, and we hunt down and kill them without mercy."

"Not that it matters since we were going to kill you anyway." Another one said.

"I'd love to play around with you guys, but I've got a goddess and a world to save." Pit said as he fired another charged shot at the creatures.

"You don't have much of a world left to save." What seemed to be the lead Gorgoneion said, firing a shot at Pit, who dashed out of the way at the last second.

"Pit, I think I've worked out a way to beat these bozos." Phosphora said. "Do you see their eyes? I bet they don't like light shining in that single eye of theirs."

"Gotcha." Pit replied. He aimed at the eyes of the creatures and fired, and when the shots met their mark, the creatures were momentarily stunned and fell to the ground with their singular eyes shut tightly. But they soon recovered and were airborne again.

"Let me have a go." Phosphora said. She fired a powerful fork of lighting into the eye of one the heads and the electric current paralyzed the monster in mid-air, leaving its eye exposed. "Now Pit: let it rip!" Pit followed up by shooting the creature until it burst into nothingness and released hearts for Pit to collect. "I think I get it. Their eye can't take too much electric, but you can also try quickly melee attacking them when they're stunned." The two systematically destroyed the remaining gorgon heads: Phosphora by shooting charged electrical attacks into their eyes, and Pit by shooting them in the eye and stunning them and then melee attacking them when they were briefly defenceless.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this." Pit said.

"You incompetent idiots!" One of the remaining gorgon heads said. "Don't leave you weak points exposed!" As soon as the creature spoke, it let its guard down and Pit shot it in the eye. He struck the creature with his blade until it was no more.

"Perhaps you should follow your own advice." Pit said triumphantly.

"Screw this! I'm getting the heck out of here!" One of the two remaining gorgon heads said.

"What are we going to tell Medusa?" The other said as they flew hurriedly away, their conversation still audible. "Oh, we're gonna get it."

"I'm going to say it was your entire fault!"

"My fault? It's not my fault I have to keep my eye open to see where I'm shooting!"

"She'll believe me over you, and she'll turn you to stone!"

"Naah, you're a pathological liar and everyone can see through you with one eye. Get it, see through you with one eye?"

"Are you making fun of me for having only one eye?"

"I'm making fun of you because you're going to be turned to stone."

"Wow, where does Medusa find these people?" Phosphora said.

"That was a close call." Pit said. "If you hadn't worked out how to beat them, then…"

"Come on Pit, we better get moving before more of those freaks arrive."

The two of them began to transverse the terrain once more, finding nothing but wasteland made of endless dunes of ashes. Pit then stood on something brittle. He looked down at his foot and found that he had stood on a fragment of the head of a human statue. He looked around him and saw the other fragments of the stone statue everywhere, but he knew this was no ordinary statue. It had once been a human being.

"This is Medusa's doing." Pit said.

"I think this place is a cemetery." Phosphora said, as the terrain had suddenly changed to human bones and fragments of the petrified thickly littering the ground. In fact, the entire terrain they were walking on earlier may have been ashes of a once thriving city. "I think this was once a town razed to the ground by Medusa."

Pit could barely contain his anger. As they moved on they came across a valley. In the valley they saw something horrific: hundreds of humans were enslaved in a labour camp. The entire camp was fenced off with spike-studded walls and barbed wire. Watchtowers were erected everywhere and spotlights constantly shone back and forth, searching for anyone who dared to try and escape like an omniscient pair of eyes. They could make out the armoured guards who were brutalising the overworked humans like cattle. Pit was engulfed by a mixture of feelings of rage, horror and sorrow.

"Medusa, if it's the last thing I do, I'll get you for this!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Lines of slaves marched like drones to their labour. They were dressed in filthy rags and looked malnourished. Some had scars from brutal beatings by the guards.

"Move it, human scum!" One of the guards shouted. "We ain't paying you to stand around. Oh wait, we aren't paying you are we?" The creatures that patrolled the encampment were snake-like monsters encased in humanoid armour animated by Medusa's magic. They towered menacingly at over six feet tall, had long protruding tails slithering from the behind. The scaly heads of these serpents overhung where you would normally expect to find the head of a human on their man-shaped armour, protected by a thick helmet cut around the eyes. They hissed intimidatingly with their fork tongues, their reptilian eyes moved around like turrets and their snouts exposed their ghostly white venomous fangs. Their armour was black and purple and their thick, metallic, anatomically correct breastplates bore a familiar insignia: it was identical to the tattoo on Medusa's face. They had reinforced shoulder pads and they had spearheads on the top of their helmets. The scaly hide that was visible boasted vibrant colours of orange and green with black markings. They wielded all sorts of weaponry including swords, spears, pikes, axes, maces and hammers. Some of them had broad, vertically rectangular shields that protected the entire front of their bodies that didn't even leave a single inch exposed to attack. These shields also had Medusa's facial markings imprinted on them. These were the Gorgon Troops.

One of the prisoners stumbled to his feet. One of the Gorgon Troopers picked him up.

"What's the matter with this one?" The Gorgon captain snarled.

"He's just lazy, that's all." The guard replied.

"Now we cannot tolerate fecklessness, can we?" The captain replied. "Let's slit his throat and make an example of him to the others." Two of the guards grabbed him and tied him to a post. The captain brandished a long knife. "No fecklessness under the pain of death."

"Everything is under the pain of death here." The man said.

"That's not true: there's severe corporal punishment as well. Then again, nearly everyone that gets it dies of their injuries mere hours later so it might as well be death. So count yourself lucky, well about as lucky as you can get around here. I'm certainly glad I'm no human, hehehe." The captain took his knife and put it to the man's throat. Then all of sudden, the knife was shot out of his very hands in a display of spectacular marksmanship. "Who dares?" He snarled.

"Maybe if you were human, you'd understand a thing or two about compassion." Pit said, approaching the captain.

"An angel?" The captain said, confused. "But I was assured they were extinct. The great Medusa herself personally wiped out the lot of you!"

"Well, you're in for a very nasty surprise." Pit said confidently.

"Guards! Crush this insignificant little runt!" The captain snarled.

Gorgon Troopers rushed from their posts to engage Pit. He was quickly surrounded by hostiles, who were raising their weapons menacingly at him. One Gorgon Trooper swung its axe at Pit: had he not swiftly reacted and ducked out of the way, it would have hacked his head clean off. Another one threw its spear at him, scoring one of his wings and causing feathers to fly everywhere: his left wing was bleeding a little. Pit retaliated by spraying the spearman with his First Blade, but it didn't even put a dent in his thick armour. Another attacker came from behind, slashing away at him with his sword. Pit spun around at what seemed like to be the speed of light to face his assailant and he blocked the vicious blows with his own blade. He kicked, punched and cut away with his blade back at the belligerents, but all it seemed to do was push them back a few feet. Medusa's new henchmen are certainly no joke, he thought to himself. I can't take them all on alone.

"Hey Phosphora, I could really do with some help right now!" Pit exclaimed.

"Pipe down, Pit, I'm coming." She said from afar.

"Hey angel!" The would-be executed man exclaimed. "These snake warriors only have one weak point: their heads! Aim for the head!"

"Thanks for the helpful tip: this would really be a good time to polish up on my headshot skills." Pit replied. He fired a charged shot at one of the Troopers' head, causing him to implode into hearts. Phosphora struck another with her lightning attack square on his head. The current of the electricity went inwardly into the armour, causing it to explode. This revealed the creature's true form: a snake almost identical to the ones found on Medusa's head.

"Archers, take them down!" The Gorgon captain ordered. The Gorgon archers fired a torrent of arrows from the watchtowers. Thousands of arrows rained down upon them in all directions. Pit took cover underneath the remains of the armour that was destroyed only moments ago and used it to shield himself from the literally piercing rain. The captain and many of the others were hit by friendly fire: half a dozen bolts were left embedded in the captain's armour. "Hey dolts, watch where you're shooting!" He said. Another watchtower hurled a grenade at Pit.

"Bad move, very bad move." Pit said as he caught the grenade in mid-air and hurled it into another watchtower. The resulting explosion engulfed the tower and it erupted into fire and debris. "Phosphora, do you think you can get rid of those watchtowers?" He asked.

"It'll be a piece of cake." Phosphora said. She fired bolts of lightning at the legs of the towers, destabilising them and causing them to catch fire. She then kicked each of the towers one by one, causing them to collapse to the ground. Pit and Phosphora then took out the remaining guards until only the captain was left. Phosphora uppercut him in the face, causing his snake body to separate from his armour. The heavy armour fell limp to the ground in a crash of metal, and the captain was left slithering about helplessly. Pit picked him up by the scruff of his neck.

"Al lright, tell me what's going on around here. I want answers and I want them now." Pit demanded.

"Have you been living under a rock of something kid?" The captain asked.

"My name is Pit: I am the captain of the guard of the Goddess of Light. I am the servant of all that is good in the world." He replied.

"Pit? That name rings a bell. Ah yes, you died nine years ago, or so we thought."

"Nine years ago!?" Pit and Phosphora both exclaimed in horror. "We were in that sea monster's belly for nine years?" Pit said, shocked. "Tell me what happened to Lady Palutena!"

"And I'd also be very interested to know what happened to Mistress Viridi, if you don't mind." Phosphora added.

"Don't you get it, Pit? Medusa is the supreme ruler of the three worlds now." The captain said. "While you were gone, she reasserted the Underworld Army and conquered the Earth completely. I believe she still keeps your goddess alive as her pet, but she's a shadow of her former self. She created me and the rest of the Gorgon Troops to keep the humans and all other creatures of the Earth subjugated. You have nothing left to fight for!"

"No! This can't be!" Pit screamed in denial.

"How could the gods have let this happen?" Phosphora asked in disbelief. "All right scaly, tell me everything you know about the whereabouts of Viridi, the Goddess of Nature!"

"Who knows what happened to her?" The captain retorted. "She could be dead. The Gorgon Troops destroyed the last of the Forces of Nature and they haven't been seen since. All I know is that you two won't last much longer."

"I think we should kill him, Pit. I think he should pay for everything that he and his Queen have done!" Phosphora said angrily.

"No, we have to show the world that we're better than that. We have to inspire the good in people in times of darkness." Pit said.

"What are you going to do with me?" The snake asked. "If you kill me, Queen Medusa will simply revive me!"

"Let's just stuff him in a sack and hope he keeps quiet." Pit said. They did just that, and the bag drowned out most of the snake's constant complaining.

"If you don't mind, I don't want to be tied to this post for the rest of my life." The would-be executed man said. Pit cut him free.

"Thanks for saving my life." The man said. The liberated camp gathered around Pit, the first tiny glimmer of hope they had seen in years. "We all thought we lost you. When Palutena's champion vanished and the Goddess of Light was captured long ago, we didn't stand a chance against Medusa. She and her forces slaughtered us, wiping out over a third of the population. Viridi had also lost her champion to Medusa, and eventually she and her troops were routed. The gods didn't lift a finger to help us. We were left to the tender mercy of the Gorgons: when they conquered the Overworld and Skyworld, they partitioned their new empire amongst themselves. Stheno inherited the Underworld, Euryale retook her family's realm of the sea and Medusa held dominion over the heavens and the Earth. The angels were all turned to stone and the surviving humans were enslaved and put to work in camps like these all over the world. Many of our towns and cities were wiped off the map, and all the rest are now under Medusa's totalitarian rule and she goes out of her way to make life miserable for all those that live there. There is only one city left that stands free, but Medusa's forces have blockaded the city and besieged it for years, and the population in there is slowly dying. Medusa hopes to starve them all death."

After a moment of silence, Pit contemplated and absorbed all the horror he had seen and heard. But then he collected his thoughts, put on a brave face and looked at the sky.

"Listen well Medusa, I know that you can hear me!" He bellowed into the heavens. "What you've done is completely unforgivable, and I'll never rest until justice has been done. I'll fight you to the end, you madwoman. I'll put an end to your insane rule and restore the light. I'll inspire the people to resist you, and your darkness will falter. For all the people you've killed, for all the suffering you've caused, for all the cities you've left in rubble, the day will come when you will pay for your crimes, make no mistake about it. I'll make sure you'll never harm a living thing again!"

After Pit had finished his speech, the astral projection of Medusa appeared before him. All the people in the camp trembled and looked away in horror, but Pit looked boldly on.

"So you survived, Pit. I thought you were gone for good. What a resourceful little angel you are." Medusa said. "But I'm afraid it's too late to save the world this time, far too late. When you were out of sight, the world was mine for the taking. Skyworld is mine, and I'll never let it go. The entire world is in my power and there's nothing you can do. Your goddess is nothing more than my plaything now, and without her or your fancy Three Sacred Treasures you are just a worm, an insect with wings. I have destroyed everything you have ever stood for, so do not think you can win a battle that you've already lost. I rule Angel Land now, and there's nothing you can do!"


	4. Chapter 4

**THE THIRD GORGON**

By DarkOrbra

**CHAPTER 4**

**THE TYRANNICAL QUEEN**

Times were desperate in Angel Land. Nine years ago, Pit and Palutena acted very foolishly: upon hearing the news that their archnemesis, Medusa, was still alive and was attempting to reconquer her former realm of the Underworld, they went to confront her unprepared. Palutena had completely underestimated Medusa and she had set an elaborate trap for them. The Goddess of Darkness had attempted to invade Angel Land twice before: the first time she succeeded, but was quickly toppled by Pit, making her reign short-lived. The second time she acted as the unwitting minion of Hades, but things ended up even worse for her. But the third time was different: the Three Sacred Treasures were gone, the Great Sacred Treasure was in tatters and Hades had been eliminated. Medusa knew that all she had to do was get rid Pit and Palutena, and whoever else might be a threat to her, and the world was at her mercy. Most of the gods did not get involved in her affairs. Just another petty goddess, most of them thought. Just let her have a few unimportant realms and things will eventually deescalate. But they completely underestimated Medusa's wrath. Joining forces with her sisters, they led an army loaned to them by their father to mop up the remainder of the Underworld Army that was still loyal to Hades. Since all the Underworld leaders had been wiped out by Pit, Medusa easily took over the Underworld and made it her base of operations. She formed a new Underworld Army in the haven of the deep dark Underworld, which was flawlessly duplicated from the original. They were beings crafted out of pure darkness rather than the souls of the dead: as Medusa was the mistress of darkness these monsters swore allegiance only to her. Once again, she had become the Queen of the Underworld.

The Lord of the Underworld had the power to manipulate the souls of the dead and convert them into other forms. Hades had plainly rebuilt the Goddess of Darkness by taking a mass of souls and converting them into the form of Medusa. These souls were imprinted with traces of Medusa's mind which soon consumed them. Any connection they had with their previous lives and their human owners was eradicated. It was speculated by some that Hades had simply created nothing more than a duff copy of Medusa. However, if this was completely true, the Rewind Spring would have simply de-converted Medusa back into a cluster of souls, with her mind's influence over them erased. But because this Medusa was created from traces of the original, the Rewind Spring restored her original mind and body: the two Medusas then merged together, becoming a single entity. With a recompleted mind and her powers fully restored, Medusa's thoughts and memories cleared: she was no longer confused, and her vitality increased. The Rewind Spring could have broken the curse that Palutena had placed on her our all those years ago, but had she been exposed to it for too long she would have risked being erased from existence. Besides, she had already regained some of her beauty with her own magic, and people feared her for her serpentine hair. When Hades revived her the first time, she had no memories of her sisters or her family: she was little more than an embodiment of concentrated hatred for Pit and Palutena. After her second defeat at the hands of Pit, she recovered some of her lost memories: she remembered that it was Hades who revived her, and she remembered her sisters and why she even came to Angel Land in the first place. Medusa conspired with her sisters in a new plot to get revenge on both Palutena and Hades once and for all and conquer all of Angel Land.

Once Pit and Palutena were out of the way, the Underworld Army quickly overran the Overworld and Skyworld. The Forces of Nature suffered heavy losses, forcing Viridi to go into hiding. Euryale led the invasion of the sea: the sea monsters and the old sea gods revolted against Poseidon in a coup and supported Euryale, and Poseidon went into exile. Medusa gave rule of the Underworld to her sister Stheno and made Skyworld the core of her new evil empire. Angel Land was now firmly in the hands of the Gorgons, under the ultimate queenship of Medusa. When Pit and Phosphora returned to Angel Land, they discovered that her rule was well established and unchallenged. They quickly found evidence of Medusa's occupying army: first there were the Gorgoneions, the enforcers and religious police of Medusa. They could detect any blasphemy or challenge muttered against Medusa, even if they were just thoughts. That was the terrifying thing about them: they punished thought crime, and if you were thinking about anything Medusa did not like, they would descend upon you without pity. Soon they also encountered Medusa's infantry, the Gorgon Troops. This was the backbone of Medusa's occupation of Angel Land. They policed the humans and kept them in line, and they were trained to quickly quell any rebellion: they were the shock troops of the Underworld Army, a symbol of her power and dominion over Angel Land.

And now, where Palutena's temple once stood, was the ominous vista of the heart of Medusa's empire: Cor Vilgium. It was a pitch black structure, surrounded by an impregnable wall and had many spear-shaped towers. In the courtyard was a garden, decorated by the stone statues of the petrified – those unfortunate enough to meet the gaze of Medusa.

Euryale had arrived from her undersea capital city to visit her sister. She came across the immense gate of the castle, preceded by a long vast bridge over a moat of poisonous substances. Her cohorts knocked on the vast door. The doors creaked open to reveal a pale, googly-eyed hunchbacked man dressed in dark robes.

"Welcome, Mistress Euryale." He said in a slimy voice. "Your sister is expecting you."

"How do you do, Agaso." Euryale said. "I hope Lady Stheno does not keep us waiting. Medusa will have a fit if she's late again, and that didn't turn out well for you, did it?"

"I am the great Medusa's punching bag." He replied. "I live to be abused."

"Of course you do, my dear Agaso." She replied. "Sometimes she needs to take her aggression out on somebody, and it can't be me or Stheno, can it? That's all humans are good for, after all."

"Sometimes she hits me, but if I'm lucky she hits Palutena instead." Agaso replied.

"Palutena is still alive?" Euryale said. "I told her to do away with that plaything of hers years ago."

"What, and then leave me to be – er, yes, you're absolutely right, Lady Stheno – er, I mean Lady Euryale!"

"Did you just call me Stheno, or I am mistaken? And I'm never mistaken, am I? Or do you not agree?"

"Yes, you're one hundred-and-ten percent correct, Mistress."

"Good, because if you had said otherwise then I would've told my little sister to get the red hot poker out again. I hope you haven't forgotten about that little incident. You couldn't sit down for over month."

"If only I could forget."

"But consider yourself fortunate: I won't tell Medusa what you called me. But calling me Stheno is an affront. You shall have ten lashings for it."

"Yes Mistress Stheno – err, I mean Euryale!"

"Make that twenty lashes."

Agaso led Euryale up a long winding staircase into the tower. They went through a door where they saw a counter with a skeletal secretary sat at a monitor and PC. The receptionist was dressed in a red blazer with a white shirt underneath and a black tie with blue stripes and a black skirt. Her head was detached from her body, which was resting on her desk. Her face was completely decomposed, leaving behind nothing but a skull, blonde hair and eyeballs in her sockets. On the desk was an empty mug of coffee.

"Good evening Skeletary the undead secretary." Euryale said. "Is Lady Medusa available?"

"I'm afraid Mistress Medusa is in the middle of one of her high powered rigid routines with Palutena, Lady Euryale." The receptionist replied. "I dare not disturb her: she can be _murder_ to deal with when her rituals are disrupted. I mean, look at what happened to me!"

"Now this had all gone too far!" Euryale said. "I told my sister she shouldn't keep goddesses as pets. Why hasn't she just put the wretched girl out of her misery?"

Meanwhile, Medusa was sat upon her cobra-shaped throne holding some chains in her scaly hands. The much abused Palutena, dressed in rags, was held in chains around her throat and her arms and legs. Medusa stroked her like a household pet.

"My grandmother told me a prophecy once," Medusa said, "when I was a little girl she said the day would come when I would discover that I was the living spirit of darkness and I would meet my spiritual twin. I would counterbalance my twin's light with my darkness, and when the balance was in my favour I would restore the primal gods to their former glory. And you knew deep down in that pious mind of yours that this day would finally come." Palutena did not say a word. There was no evidence that she could even comprehend what Medusa was saying. "Poor Palutena, this is too much for you, isn't it my old friend? What happened to the happy-go-lucky Palutena I knew all those years ago? What happened to that sense of humour, that oh-so playful banter and that spirit? Did somebody break that spirit? Now who could have done that? Oh yes, I remember: it was me!"

"Medusa, why do you keep her here?" Euryale said as she entered into Medusa's throne room followed by Agaso who was wearing a blindfold. "As long as she lives, she's a threat to us."

"I never had any interest in killing her," Medusa replied, "I only wanted to make her suffer as much as she made me suffer. After all, she was the one who turned our hair into snakes and separated us, who left me in exile in the Underworld to rot and to become used and abused by a madman. It was she who sent her nasty pet angel to murder me. Most of all, she blamed me for what Poseidon did to me. She said it was all in my head."

"You know what I mean, sister." Euryale said. "Now it is confirmed that the angel that is a thorn in our side still lives, he could save her and spoil all our plans." Palutena had overheard what Euryale said, and she suddenly started to take interest in the conversation.

"I'd say Pit is too late for that." Medusa replied. "About nine years too late, in fact. The world cannot go back to how it was any more than we can go back to how we were before Palutena cursed us."

"Palutena cursed us because we stood by your side, sister," Euryale said, "and we'll stay by your side till the very bitter end. You cannot revive yourself after death like we can, so Stheno and I must look out for you and protect you. I don't want to lose you again."

"I am not your kid sister anymore, Euryale." Medusa said. "You don't need to worry about me. In fact, since the Rewind Spring restored my body, I never felt better. The Three Sacred Treasures are no more, and without those, Pit knows that I am unbeatable: him being alive is just a minor setback in our plans."

"Don't underestimate the angel, my sister; you know what he's capable of despite being a worm." Euryale said.

"I don't intend to, my dear Euryale." Medusa replied. "I'm already one step ahead of you: I've put a price on his head so large that every bounty hunter in Angel Land will be desperate to get their hands on him before my army does." She then turned to Palutena, who for the first time in years had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "And I want you to know this Palutena; the reward money will be triple if they bring me his still beating heart. Don't hold your breath about ever seeing him alive again, as the next time you see him I'll feed you his heart, raw…"

That fateful day nine years ago changed the face of Angel Land forever. The tsunami devastated the Overworld, ripping apart many of Viridi's troops and levelling many cities to the ground, killing thousands in the process. Entire forests were severed by their roots and scattered. Medusa, with Palutena at her tender mercy and believing she had gotten rid of Pit for good, took advantage of the chaos and desolation caused by the tsunami on the Overworld and launched her mighty invasion force in a surprise attack. They overran the remnants of the Forces of Nature, who were caught off-guard and still weakened by the tsunami and the loss of their greatest champion, Phosphora. It was a terrible slaughter and nobody knows what exactly happened to Viridi. The Centurions were nothing without Pit or Palutena and they did not survive the merciless onslaughts of Medusa's army.

Medusa had joined forces with many other gods looking for an opportunity to grab more power, promising them rich pickings in her new empire. The old gods, some of whom were members of Medusa's own family, rallied behind her in droves and swelled her army with reinforcements. She even hired bands of mercenaries to fight a war of attrition against any opposition. She was soon spearheading one of the largest invasion forces Angel Land had ever seen. When she took control of Skyworld, life was about to go from bad to worse for humankind. She even humiliated Palutena by having her dragged in chains through every city and paraded her in front of the humans, showing them that she had finally broken Palutena. What's even worse is that she had Palutena tied to a post and had her publicly flogged until her back was bloodied. Even to this day, Palutena still has the scars from her lashings. This broke any last morale of the humans. Palutena's nine years of torture and captivity has taken its toll on the goddess. Medusa has finally had her revenge.

Pockets of resistance were quickly quelled. Medusa had a single policy when it came to revolts, and that was to slaughter all those that oppose her with extreme prejudice. However, there was still one city that had managed to escape Medusa's iron fist. The last free human city-state, Liberty City, had formed a pact with Medusa: she would allow them self-rule as long as they paid her steep taxes. The king of Liberty City was able to hold onto semi-independence from Medusa's evil empire for the remainder of his reign, but that all ended after his death. Once she received word of the king's demise, Medusa moved in to claim the throne for herself. To prove to the inhabitants that she was in charge, she had the entire elected city council publicly hung in the streets. This angered the residents of the city and they began to revolt. They successfully drove Medusa's garrison of the city away in a bitter guerrilla war, with some obvious outside help. Medusa responded by blockading the city and preventing any supplies from reaching the inhabitants. The residents of the city are slowly being starved to death. Medusa has no interest in bringing the city under her rule anymore: she simply wants to wipe it off the face of the Earth.

When all hope had seemed to be lost, Pit, Palutena's thought-to-be-lost greatest champion, had returned. Phosphora, Viridi's greatest champion, was also a symbol of hope to the demoralized inhabitants of Angel Land, but is she too late to save Viridi? Will the last of the angels and the Lightning Flash be able to survive in a world where Medusa reigns supreme?


End file.
